Sunday, August 28, 2011

Behind the Seams: The San Francisco Junior League Fashion Show Luncheon

How does Fab spend a Spring Saturday? By attending fashion shows whenever and wherever I can. When I'm not in New York or LA for my runway fix, I look to my local (beautiful) city of San Francisco for fashion fare. True, there is no groundbreaking trends and top models on the runways, but there are events that benefit good causes and healthy models who actually look like they're having fun. Such was the scene at the Junior League of San Francisco fashion show luncheon. PartySugar and I gobbled down creative salad fixings while we looked on to a high-energy Macy's sponsored runway show.

The theme was American Beauty and there were various segments broken down by trend. There was even a mens and kiddie segment. One of the highlights was actually the preteen show where I felt like a junior higher again, though back then I didn't get to wear Marc by Marc Jacobs. The models were a mix of women who are involved with the fund-raising organization and real models, the husbands of Junior Leaguers and their kids. It was a family affair.

It was also a very well rounded fashion show in that there were looks for women of all ages and shapes — another thing we don't get to see much of on high-fashion runways. Some of my favorite looks were by DKNY, Kensie, and Chaiken (the guest designer who took her walk on the runway despite being in a foot cast), and specifically an L-Space raspberry bikini and a BCBG ivory Grecian gown. The event itself was well produced and the stage, complete with theme-changing giant hanging balls, was wonderful.

Proceeds from the fashion show — including some fabulous auctioned European vacations — all go to JLSF-supported community programs. You know I love me some fashion for a cause!

Friday, August 26, 2011

This blonde haired blue eyed soon to be 21-year-old Canadian model was discovered at age 16 at a restaurant in Ontario by an agent for International Model Management and later went on to win the Los Angeles Model Look Search. She has quickly become a name you will often hear mentioned by anyone discussing a top ten list of models, which is no surprise when she has had a spectacular start to her modeling career. Stam, which is also the nickname she is known by, lit up her career when she was placed on the cover of German Vogue. Since then she has appeared in ad campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Vera Wang, Atsuro Tayama, Cerruti Jeans, Valentino, Miu Miu, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Holt Renfrew, BCBG, and Banila B. Marc Jacobs has even created a handbag and named it the Stam Bag in her honor.

Stam is a beauty whose face and body can convert to any fashion vice without looking out of place. Despite participation in such high profile ad campaigns, she remains well grounded and certainly not full of herself. This down to earth quality makes her all the more attractive considering that most supermodels attain a diva attitude when they are in such demand.

Stam will continue to strut the runway until her gorgeous piercing blue eyes go out of style. The fact that she lives in New York City (one of the Mecca’s of modeling) and is represented by IMG (who represents a majority of the women and men we call supermodels), I have a feeling she has a long modeling career ahead of her.

Friday, August 19, 2011

The beauty of natural light is the theme of this post as it is the theme of most of my photoshoots. Because I always photograph out of the studio on location without portable lights, assistants and ...

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Americas Next Top Model looking for short womenIf you’ve always been interested in modeling but didn’t have the right height, former supermodel Tyra Banks may actually be your saving angel. She is looking for shorter girls for her successful TV-show Americas Next Top Model. The next season will only contain woman under 5′7″. Tyra is planning a revolution in the industry and thinks that this year is The year for short woman.

London Fashion Week had a great mix of old and new models on the runways last week. Christopher Kane and Giles Deacon brought out the highly coveted Lara Stone to open their shows, while Raquel Zimmermann and Christina Kruse closed, respectively. Agyness Deyn opened and closed best friend Henry Holland's House of Holland collection, to no one's surprise. At PPQ, Ekaterina Kiseleva opened with a distracting huge pink bow tied around her head — and still managed to look stunning. And let's not forget the one and only Naomi closing out Issa alongside Jourdan Dunn. But the undeniable winner for London is rising star Amanda Laine. Last season we anointed her the winner of Paris Fashion Week when she became a favorite at Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, and Alexander McQueen. Now, London's designers clamored to book her: She opened for the girlie and geeky Luella show, looked super androgynous at Paul Smith, and walked in a handful of others. And with Milan and Paris around the corner, we just know we'll be seeing a lot more of her.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

As I was riding the metro early this morning, I came upon this article about the top fashion capitals around the world. Of course I wasn't entirely surprised that Washington, DC did not make it into the top 20 but Vegas?? I don't really view that as a 'fashion destination" so I was a little surprised to see that the city made it on this particular list.

Although I haven't been to Milan...yet....I absolutely adore anything by Armani and of course Prada shoes. The simplicity and understated elegance of both of these designers make me swoon in awe. I am lucky enough to own a few pairs of Prada shoes and would display them on my nightstand if it weren't for the fear of my toddler running off with them to play with. No, no, no. Is it bad that he already knows that mommy's shoes are 'expensive' as are her Chanel sunglasses? Ha!

Milan the Top Fashion City Poll

Milan has ended New York’s five-year reign as the world’s top fashion city, while Hong Kong and Sao Paulo have moved into the top 10, according to an annual survey of top fashion cities. The list was compiled by the Global Language Monitor, a U.S. based non-profit group that tracks the frequency of words and phrases in the media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. The top 5 cities dominating the world fashion scene are New York, Rome, Paris, Milan and London — but New York had led the list for five consecutive years.

This year, however, Milan took the top slot followed by New York, Paris, Rome and London. Other big movers included Hong Kong and Sao Paulo, which broke into the top 10, while Barcelona and Miami surged.

“The global economic restructuring has affected the fashion industry just as it has touched everything else,” said Millie Lorenzo Payack, a director at the Global Language Monitor.

“The catwalks were still crowded though with the lights dimmer, the hype a bit more restrained, and recessionists, of course, thriving.”

World first at Fashion Week

To the strains of Carly Simon's You're So Vain, top fashion label World has kicked off New Zealand's largest Fashion Week in Auckland, after a four-year absence. Fashion Week, now in its eighth year, was officially opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark last night. She spoke about the importance of the multi-million dollar industry to the country and the success New Zealand fashion labels have had here and overseas.

Buyers and media from around the world have gathered in Auckland for the showcase, designed to generate sales for designers and find new global markets.

It was standing room only at the highly anticipated World show as fashion industry insiders sat alongside New Zealand personalities and journalists.

With bold colours, stark black blunt bobbed wigs on the models and plenty of sparkles, the World collection entitled 'There is No Depression in New Zealand' received a standing ovation from the audience, with label principals Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Francis Hooper taking to the stage after the show.

Other designers set to hold shows this week include Trelise Cooper, whose children's show is always a crowd favourite, Zambesi, Nom*D, Karen Walker and Huffer.

Some of the new talent include Stitch Ministry, Emma, Doosh and Moneyshot.

Australian designer Kirrily Johnston became the first Australian fashion designer to have a show at New Zealand's Fashion Week this afternoon.

Research into the economic impact of Air New Zealand Fashion Week found it to be worth an estimated $23.2 million to the New Zealand economy in terms of total output generated, and an estimated $19.2 million to the Auckland economy.

Australia is New Zealand's key market for apparel exports, taking 71 percent of our total apparel exports to the world.

The World’s Best Fashion Magazines

There’s a lot to cover in the fashion world and these world class publications are responsible for keeping their readers up to date on everything from Paris runways to local shopping.

Fashion

Canada’s premiere fashion publication, Fashion magazine’s slogan is “Bringing the World of Fashion Home.” Based in Toronto, with offices in Vancouver and Montreal, Fashion keeps its readers up to speed on the latest designs coming down the runways in the fashion capitals of the world as well as letting them know what’s hot here at home. Fashion’s editor-in-chief is Ceri Marsh, who has co-authored two books on style called The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Decorum and The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Grace Under Pressure. The magazine publishes 10 issues per year, keeping its readers up to date on the latest beauty and fashion trends.

Vogue

Vogue has been called “the world’s most influential fashion magazine” by book critic Caroline Weber and there are few that would disagree. Vogue began as a weekly publication in 1892 and gradually morphed into a highly successful magazine read by women around the world (versions of Vogue are published in 16 countries). Vogue presents stories and images of high fashion along with pieces on art, culture and politics. The magazine is largely responsible for the current view of models as celebrities, launching the careers of many young models throughout the years. Famous editors of Vogue include Diana Vreeland, who oversaw the magazine during the tumultuous 1960s, and Anna Wintour, Vogue’s current editor-in-chief known for her trademark bob and sunglasses, as well as for inspiring Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada. Vogue continues to dominate the fashion magazine world.

Lucky

Lucky is a relative newcomer to the fashion magazine world, having launched in December 2000. It is described as a shopping magazine and makes no bones about its blatant consumerism. The magazine offers fashion and beauty tips and news along with plenty of information on where and how to shop for the latest trends. Publisher Condé Nast counts Lucky as one of its biggest successes with a circulation of over 1 million. Editor-in-chief, Kim France, has guided the magazine to acclaim and authored the companion books The Lucky Guide To Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own and The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece.

Loulou

Canada’s version of Lucky is Loulou, a shopping magazine featuring news and advice on fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Loulou not only shows readers the latest in the world of fashion, but tells them where to get their hands on it as well. Loulou regularly teams with Canadian merchants to offer promotions to readers and customers.

Harper’s Bazaar

America’s first fashion magazine, Harper’s Bazaar has been offering a sophisticated view of fashion, beauty and popular culture since 1867. The magazine was originally conceived as a weekly publication aimed at upper-middle class and upper class women featuring images and stories about high society and fashion. From 1936 to 1965, two strong personalities had a great influence on the magazine: fervent photographer, Richard Avedon, and eventual editor, Diana Vreeland. The pair was the inspiration for the characters played by Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in the film Funny Face. The collaboration between Avedon, Vreeland, art director Alexey Brodovitch and editor-in-chief Carmel Snow introduced a new look and focus for the fashion magazine. Harper’s Bazaar is published in more than 20 countries and outsells Vogue in Australia and Thailand.

InStyle

InStyle is a monthly fashion magazine featuring articles about fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrities. Less editorial than Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle focuses on popular culture as opposed to high fashion. Through the combination of print format and web presence, InStyle has launched offshoots including shopping.instyle.com and instyleweddings.com.

W

Chairman and editorial director of W magazine, Patrick McCarthy, shifted from working at W’s sister magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, to join vice president and publisher, Nina Lawrence in running the publication. W is primarily a fashion magazine, but also comments on American and European society as well as showcasing celebrities and their homes (in W House Tours). Known for ambitious and sometimes controversial photo features, W has a loyal readership of around half a million.

Elle

Elle magazine began in France in 1945 and was introduced to an American audience in the 1980s. These days, Elle is called the world’s biggest fashion magazine with dozens of foreign editions and developments such as Elle Décor, Elle Girl, Elle Cuisine and the online presence at elle.com. Photo spreads in Elle have been part of the top prize for winners of America’s Next Top Model (cycles three to six) and Project Runway (seasons one to five). One of the most popular women’s magazines in the world, Elle features articles on fashion, beauty, health and entertainment.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Daria Strokous is the new Top Model of the world has been waiting for!

It is truly refreshing to see the definition of beauty return to the fashion world. Daria Strokous is one of those few models that have beauty which transcends borders, rare talent, and gifted smarts to re-define fashion. Her step in the catwalk is not only mesmerizing, but she carries a freshness and confidence only few and select models through out the history of fashion have been able to achieve: an innate ability to understand how to wear the art designers work so hard to create each season -(not just a mannequin with a heartbeat). She gives hope to us all who wish to see the return of what the word “model” used to stand for.

And everyone can agree with history. In the late 1990s actresses, pop singers, and other entertainment celebrities began gradually replacing models on fashion magazine covers and ad campaigns. Many of us can understand the “business” reasons for it. Charles Gandee, associate editor at Vogue, has said that high prices and poor attitudes contributed less to the decline of the supermodel. As clothes became less flashy, designers turned to models who were less glamorous, so they wouldn’t overpower the clothing. The popular media apply the term ‘Supermodel’ loosely to some without worldwide recognition and extensive experience in haute couture.

OUR PICK? A REAL PEARL

Last year, Beauty School's pick to win Miss World 2008 was Miss Mexico. This year, Beauty School's pick to win Miss World 2009 is Miss Mexico. Perla Beltran, Miss World Mexico, won Miss World Top Model on November 28. With this title, she has been fast-tracked to the finals, along with Miss World Japan Eruza Sasaki (Miss World Sportswoman), Miss World Canada Yanbing Ma and Miss World Sierra Leone Mariatu Kargbo (joint Miss World Talent Show winners) and Miss World Gibraltar Kaiane Aldorino (Miss World Beach Beauty). Only one one more fast-track title remains - Miss World Beauty with a Purpose, to be announced at the Miss World 2009 final on Saturday, December 12 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Other Beauty School faves for the Miss World 2009 title are Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar, and Miss France, Chloe Mortaud. In perhaps one of the biggest highway robberies in Miss Universe history, both failed to make top 5 at Miss Universe 2009.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

When you think of modeling, do you picture 16 year old, waifish thin and very exotic looking girl? If so,think again. Even though the fashion models business is oversaturated with the most beautiful women in the world, an average-looking person can still have a nitche within the business.

Fashion black models is the most prestigious category of the modeling industry, because about a dozen of fashion models have actually achieved the status of celebrities. Fashion modeling industry is not open to everyone and has very strict standards: height, weight, age and measurement requirements. Fashion girl model have to stay very thin to fit the clothes they are modeling, and even though many people in the industry might deny it, the pressure to have zero body fat is enormous in the fashion world. If you are tall and thin and lucky enough to have an agent who’d send you to castings (meetings with clients or photographers who can potentially hire you,) be prepared to do about six meetings a day, which wouldn’t necessarily result in any jobs.

If you are lucky enough to actually get a model jobs, most editorial projects (such as magazines) don’t pay a lot, and it takes an average fashion model a few years to build up her portfolio to start getting big fashion campaigns and other high-paying modeling gigs.

Travel for fashion shows or for editorial work can be exhausting, and many young women have trouble coping with pressure, related to the industry and its standards. Therefore – drug use, eating disorders, unfinished education and other issues, mentioned way too frequently in the media.

Not everything about the world of fashion modeling is dark and hard, but unfortunately, there are very few models who can actually make it to the top and enjoy the fame and fortune it offers. The biggest problem of fashion modeling today is competition. Because the industry has been raised to its highly prestigious status, it is simply impossible to provide all gorgeous hopefuls with enough work. This is why many aspiring fashion models give up modeling after spending six months in a tiny model apartment in Paris or Milan, watching their hungry roommates steal their food or do drugs.

Miss World 2008 revisited

Crowning glory: While the Miss World 2008 crown went to Miss Russia, Kseniya Sukhinova, the countdown to the beauty pageant was full of highs and lows. Here's a quick recap of the Miss World 2008 beauty pageant.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Ruffles are back, with the acceptance of the great garments and accessories. This acceptance is well-known by fashion experts.

In United States, some fashion stores (such as Jcrew) already have these jackets in different styles, which can be used to stylize your body.

The best option for this sunny season is to wear these jackets with some tight jeans. If those jeans are flared, then your appearance will be much better, because this will create an optical illusion giving the impression that your hips are much bigger than your waist and for that reason, you will look great.

Try wearing these jackets with open toe high heels. The ruffles give your clothes a more traditional appearance and these jackets match perfectly with shoes that have the same color.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Fashion world is alive and well and all abuzz with the coming 2010 fashion trends. This fashion season will continue with the s`me trends as we saw in the 2009 season. While the summer months fashion trend predictions are still forthcoming, the following trends for the season will guide you to a warm, cozy and fashionable winter!

Over the Knee and Thigh High Boots are Hot!

The classic over-the-knee boots are THE must-have shoe item this season. For the truly daring woman, the thigh high boot is quite hot right now as well. There are tons of options available from rich and creamy suedes to traditional leathers in all colors.

The Cape – It’s Not For Dracula Anymore!

No we’re not kidding, the cape is back, after a long hiatus. The cape in a variety of forms will be big this 2010 fashion season with top name designers creating their own unique spin on the cape. Many styles and options, including, mini capelets to long cloaks and full capes.

Leather, Leather and More Leather

Forget the standard leather jacket, this season brings leather to most any type of garment you own. It’s a leather frenzy for 2010 with shorts, dresses, leggings and a whole lot more…

Ruffles and Bows A blast to the past with this season in fashion promising bow blouses, lots of ruffles, tailored looks, especially waistcoats, brooches and jodhpurs.

Texture and Chunky Knits Texture seems to be the cornerstone of this winter’s season in fashion with chunky, big knits playing a big part in the women’s clothing ensemble. They are warm and fabulous and plan on seeing them around for a while. Another element for these knits is while chunky the trend will be open weave to show that flash of skin.

Tights and Stockings – Ripped and Shredded

Following behind the ripped denim craze (which by the way is back this season as well) we saw a while back, this season calls for rips in stockings and tights. What a concept! I bet you wish now that you had saved all those ripped hose you threw away. Looks like we might be heading toward a new Grunge fashion era.

More Rips in Jeans and All Denim

Of course, we all knew they would make a come back. Sexy, revealing and really hot this season, go ahead and bust them out, dust them off and floss them any which way you want.

See Through! By the spring and summer of this season you can fashionably show some skin, as see through clothing will be hot and trendy! Sheer looks that are both feminine and soft will be in and just in time to look sexy and fabulous this summer.

Single Shoulder Blouses, Tops and Dresses

Asymmetry is the trend for this fashion season for dresses, tops, blouses and swim wear, that will show off one shoulder allowing for a variety of designs, styles and forms to make you sexy, beautiful and hot!

Military Gear

Forget boot camp, this season allows to floss a cool military look without doing push ups! The Military jacket is back as a fashion statement and style calls for it to be a regular winter wardrobe must have, studded, feminized or any which way you want to wear it!